In many nations summer is synonymous with open-air rock festivals. Japan is no exception. No music event looms larger than, the nation¡¯s largest such gathering, which draws well over 100,000 attendees to the mountains of Niigata each July.?As in other countries, fans often hold up banners, messages or even the national flags of the performers¡¯ home countries when cheering them on.
But this year, with war in Europe and the Middle East, other flags flew.?As seen in widely circulated social media photos and videos ¨C posted on July 24 and since viewed over a million times ¨C the?of the Islamic Republic of Iran flew on one pole and the Palestinian, on another.
Flags are not mere abstract symbols. Even when used as gestures of peace or solidarity, they carry histories, governments?and unresolved political claims behind them ¨C not always in the same way ¨C and that context matters before we wave them or watch others wave them. Seeing the flags flying over Fuji Rock raises the questions: Do the festival¡¯s organizers and participants know what these flags actually represent?
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